Refrigerator car floor



Jan. 3, 1939. .1. s. LUNDVALL REFRIGERATOR CAR FLOOR Filed Nov. 15, 19363 Sheets-Sheet l Q gag fix mm 1 mw 1 5 w J? F 2a Q \s 1 N 2. M Q MS R%day;

Jan. 3, 1 939. I J 5 LUNDVALL 2,142,320

REFRIGERATOR CAR FLOOR Filed Nov. 13, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jan. 3,1939. J. s. LUNDVALL REFRIGERATOR CAR FLOOR Filed Nov. 13, 1936 5Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Jan. 3, 1939 UNITED STATES REFRIGERATOR CARFLOOR John S. Lundvall, Chicago, 111., assignor to Union Asbestos &Rubber Company, Chicago, 111., a

corporation of Illinois Application November 13, 1936, Serial No.110,571

12 Claims.

The present invention relates to refrigerator car floors, and isparticularly concerned with the provision of an improved refrigeratorcar floor construction, which is adapted to prevent all leakage ofdrippings through the floor into the insulation.

A large number of perishable products shipped in refrigerator carsrequire a top icing; that is, ice is usually placed on top and betweenthe perishable product, in order to keep the product fresh and in anunwilted condition. The drippings from this top icing fall directly onthe main floor of the car, which is usually of wood.

After the car has been in service a limited length of time, the moisturefrom the top icing drippings seeps through the main floor boards at thejoints, and through the boards around the nails, into the insulation,causing the insulation to become soggy and wet and practically worthlessas insulation, thus impairing the temperature holding efiiciency of thecar.

In the devices of the prior art, relatively heavy and closely fittingboards have been used in an effort to eliminate such leakage, as well aswaterproof fabric coverings for such fioor boards,

with the result that such prior constructions are not durable or'capableof keeping the insulation in suitable condition as described above.

One of the objects of the invention is the provision of an improvedwatertight refrigerator car floor which eliminates the necessity for theusual heavy one and three-fourths inch floor boards, the waterproofingfabric, and the labor involved in applying these elements of the priorconstructions.

Another object is the provision of an improved waterproofed floor whichmay be constructed of steel and which is adapted to extend upward on thesides of the car to a sufficient distance so that there is nopossibiilty of the water ever rising above the edge of the steelflooring.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an improved steelfloorconstruction which is adapted to be laid in sections so that theinsulation and flooring may be applied to the framework of the car afterthe roof has been put on and after the car is sufficiently complete toprevent any damage to the insulation by the 5 water.

Another object is the provision of an improved sectional refrigeratorcar floor construction by means of which various portions of the carfloor may be removed and repaired, if necessary, or by 0.. means ofwhich access may be had to the insulation, if necessary, to determineits condition, or repair and replace the insulation of the floor.

Another object is the provision of an improved fioor construction of thetype described, having provision for suitably securing floor racks, 5without any possibility of leakage through the securing devices.

Another object is the provision of an improved refrigerator car floorconstruction in which there is greater uniformity of insulating value ofthe 1 insulation over the complete floor area.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing description and the accompanying drawings, in which similarcharacters of reference indicate similar parts throughout the severalviews.

Referring to the three sheets of drawings accompanying thisspecification,

Fig. 1- is a top plan view of the floor of a refrigerator car, with thewall of the car shown in 20 section, and constructed according to theinvention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view, taken on the plane of the line 2--2of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows; 25

, Fig. 3 is a schematic plan view of the floor,

showing the preferred mode of dividing the floor up into sections forthe purpose of application of the steel flooring;

Fig. 4 is a transverse, sectional view, taken on 30 the plane of theline l i of Fig. 1, loohng in lal the direction of the arrows;

Fig; 7 is a fragmentary plan view of a floor 40 rack hinge, with a partof the wall in section at the upwardly turned edge of the steelflooring;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view of the floor rack hingeconstruction shown in Fig. 7, taken on the plane of the line 8-8 of Fig.7; 45

Fig. 9 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 6, showing a modified form ofjoint betweensections of the metal flooring;

Fig. 10 is a similar view of another modification;

Fig. 11 is a similar view of another modification.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 4, 20 indicates, in Fig. 4, the longitudinallyextending wooden stringers v which run lengthwise of the car and rest onthe cross bearing members of the steel under-frame of the refrigeratorcar. These stringers are usually approximately seven inches deep, and inthe devices of the prior art are used to support the relatively thickwooden floor, the insulation being disposed upon the stringers and belowthe floormg.

According to the present invention, a sub-flooring 2| of wood is naileddirectly to the stringers, and the insulation, comprising the layers 23,is placed above the sub-flooring 2|. Where the insulation consists ofbats or sheets of area too small to cover the entire floor, as isgenerally the case, the joints are, of course, broken between thesuccessive layers of insulation.

This insulation may consist of any suitable form of heat insulatingmaterial, preferably in the form of a felt, and may comprise any of thesuitable insulating fibers, vegetable, mineral or animal, the vegetablefiber being the more economical.

Any suitable number of layers may be used to insulate the car to anydegree desired, and in some embodiments of the invention, as, forexample, in that shown in Fig. 5, an upper layer of insulating board 24,such as Celotex or other insulating board may be used. The insulatinglayers 23 may be clamped in place by means of a plurality ofsub-stringers 25, comprising wooden members extending longitudinally ofthe car and located above the main stringers 20.

The sub-stringers 25 not only comprise clamping members, but aresupports for the main floor of steel, and they are preferably bolted tothe substringers 20 by means of through bolts, lag screws, or the like.They are also preferably suitably spaced from the stringers 20 by meansof spacers which definitely predetermine the spacing between the members20 and 25 and support the substringers 25 in the same position,irrespective of the tendency of the clamped insulating layers, whichmight give.

The car is, of course, provided with suitable steel framework forsupporting the stringers 20 and including the side angles 26 as well asthe vertical framework which supports the walls 21.

The flooring of the car may then comprise a layer of sheet steel 28,which extends over the full area of the floor of the car from one drippan at one end of the car to the other drip pan at the other end of thecar and also overlapping the sill at the door of the car.

In some embodiments of the invention the" steel flooring 28 might bemade in one continuous sheet, but this is subject to the disadvantagethat it is difficult to apply such large sheets; and to have thempurchased and shipped. The sheet steel flooring 28 is preferably ofsufficient thickness so as to be substantially rigid and provideadequate support for the products which are shipped in the car. Itpreferably not only covers the floor, but extends upward at each borderof the floor, that is, at the car walls, a sufficient distance, such asapproximately seven inches, which will carry the flooring up above thefloor racks andpositively eliminate any possibility of wateraccumulating on the floor to a sufficient height to over-run theupwardly turned edge of the flooring.

The sub-stringers 25 are preferably so arranged with respect to the mainstringers 20, which are level, that there is a suitable slope providedon the floor to cause the floor to drain toward ea h end from the middleof the car. This may be done either by tapering the sub-stringers 25 orby increasing the spacing of the sub-stringers with respect to the mainstringers 20 toward the middle of the car.

In order to eliminate the difiiculties involved in securing and handlingsteel sheets of sufiiclent width and length to cover the entire carfloor in one piece, I prefer to form the steel flooring in suitablesections. For this purpose the car floor is shown in Fig. 3 as beingdivided up into a plurality of sections, each of which is covered by apiece of sheet steel of suitable size. In this diagram 29 indicates thedrip pan at the right end, and 30 the drip pan at the left end of the'car. 3| indicates the floor section immediately adjacent the door-ways,preferably so located that it may be most conveniently installed andarranged in connection with the door sills, which require a slightlydifferent form of construction for the floor covering at that point. 32is used to indicate the substantially identical intermediate floorsections between the door section and the drip pans, and 33 indicates arelatively narrow floor section which may be used to overlap the edgesof the drip pans 29, 3B or which may form an integral part of the drippan.

Referring to Fig. 6, this is a sectional view showing one of thepreferred forms of joint between the steel sections 29-33.

It should be understood that any suitable steel alloy may be used,capable of withstanding corrosion, or the flooring may be covered withsuitable galvanizing in order to prevent rust. In some embodiments ofthe invention the various sections 29-33 may be secured together bysuitable welding processes, any of the forms of watertight welding knownin the art being used; but I prefer to provide a joint substantially asshown in Fig. 6.

For this joint, each of the edges of the steel sections which extendparallel to the ends of the car is provided with a downwardly andslightly backwardly turned flange 34. The flanges 34 support a flange 35in each case, which extends substantially parallel to the body 28 of thesection. The flanges 35 are preferably narrower than the flanges 34, andpreferably bear such a relation to the channelled cap strip 36 that theymay be conveniently assembled with the cap strip by pressing the flanges34 together.

The finished shape of the joint, however, is such that the flanges 34form a rib on the bottom of the flooring 28, which grows wider towardits edge, and which is, therefore, adapted to retain the metal strip 36,which is complementary in shape.

Thus the channel strip 36 has a flat yoke or body 31 and a pair of sideflanges 38, which extend in the same direction from the body or yoke 31,but are each at an angle slightly less than ninety degrees, so that theyextend diagonally toward each other. All of the parts of this jointdescribed are resilient, and therefore adapted to give during theassembly.

The sub-stringers 25 are, of course, provided with suitably formedcut-outs 39 for receiving the channel strips 35 so that the body 28 ofthe flooring rests directly on the top of the substringers 25 and theyoke 31 of the channel strip 36 rests on the bottom of the groove 39.The member 40 in the assembly is a round edge flat steel, bar ofsufficient width so that when it is assembled with the sections andchannel strip, as shown in Fig. 6, it presses the flanges 34 intoengagement with the side walls 38 of the channelled strip 36.

It preferably is of substantially rectangular section, but has roundedends 4| so as to facilitate its installation. It is inserted into thegroove 42 between the flanges 34 edgewise, one rounded edge 4| beingplaced in one of the comers, such as, for example, the corner 43.Thereafter suitable force is applied to force the steel bar 48 downwarduntil it reaches the position of Fig. 6, where it has spread the flanges34 out into tight engagement with the side walls 38 of the channelledstrip 36.

' The steel bar 40 is then permanently secured in place by itsengagement with the flanges 34,

which extend toward each other above the steel bar 48. A suitable,initially plastic seaming compound, such as a hot asphalt compound, isthen poured into the groove 42 and finished off flush with the top ofthe steel flooring 28, thereby providing a water-tight joint.

It should be observed in Fig. 4 that not only do the wall portions 44 ofthe floor lining extend up on each side of the car, but the joints alsoextend upward, including the flanges 34,35 and the channelled strip 36,and all of these members are of suitable shape so that due to theirresiliency they may be assembled, although the portions thereof at theside walls are not in the same plane as the floor.

A separate, short length of steel bar 40 may be inserted in the shortportion of the joint which appears at each side of the car, or the hingecasting may alone be used to draw the flanges together.

With respect to the center section 3|, it is provided with suitablejoint flanges 34 at each edge and the portions which extend upward onthe wall at each side of the door sill 45. The door sill is preferablycovered with a suitable pressed board covering 46, which fits into agroove formed in the depending flange 49, carried by the middle floorsection. The depending flange 49 extends inward. downward, and againslopes down and outward on the sill 45. An angle iron 41 covers theouter face of steel 45, but is spaced from the edge of the sheet metalunder the covering 46 so as not to provide a metal conductive path fromthe outside of the car to the inside. The edges of the flange 49 andassociated parts are welded to the upwardly extending steel plates onthe sides of the door so that there is a complete water-tight coveringfor the lower portion of the door frame, sill, and floor.

Referring to Fig. 5, this is another form of substringer 25a, which issimilar in shape to that previously shown, but is mortised at 58, at thetop, adjacent each edge, to receive the insulating floor board 24. Thisstringer is also grooved as shown in Fig. 6 at points adjacent thesection joints, the numeral 5| being used to indicate a joint of thetype described with respect to Fig. 6 or other modifications, Figs.9-11.

Referring to Figs. 7 and 8, these flgures show the construction of thehinge fittings which support the floor racks. The refrigerator car flooris usually and preferably covered with sectional floor racks, shown inFig. 1 in plan, and indicated by the numerals 52, 53. These floor rackscomprise the longitudinally extending frame members 54 to which theslats 55 are secured by screws or bolts in spaced relation to each otherto support the load, but to permit the drippings to pass through theracks.

At each end of the car, below the bulkhead 56 or adjacent thereto,.theflooring 28 is preferably provided with a stop member, which may consistof a sheet metal member 51 of substantially U shape, having suitableattaching flanges welded to the steel flooring 28, and located as shownin Fig. 1, to engage the two end racks at the middle of the car. Theracks are held in place at their outer edges by suitable hinges, shownin Figs. 7 and 8; but since they bear the entire load, which might tendto cause the racks to shift at the middle, this is prevented by the stop51 at each end of the car.

The rack hinges may consist in each case of a pair of members 58, 59made of cast metal and secured respectively to the car wall and therack. Hinge casting 59 has its vertical attaching flange 60 secured tothe rack frame member 54 by a plurality of screw bolts 6|. It has a pairof pintle bearings 62, one located on each side of a pintle bearing 63,carried by the hinge casting 58. The pintle 64 secures these two membersin pivotal iglation at a point spaced from the steel flooring The pointof pivot is preferably located at the top of the rack so as to permitthe rack to swing upward against the side of the car, where it may besecured by hooks, latches, or other securing devices when the racks arenot to be used.

The hinge casting 58 has its body secured to the upwardly extendingsteel flanges 44 by a plurality of screw bolts 65 which pass through theflange 44 and through the body 58. In order to assure a' water-tightjoint, the casting is formed with a recess 66 on its back side,surrounding the screw bolts 65, and these recesses 66 communicate withthe upwardly extending part of the groove 42 of the joint, by means of achamber 61, which extends across the rear side of the casting 58.

The chambers 66 and 61 are completely closed at their edges by the sideflanges 68 and by the fact that the body 58 of the casting engagesflatly against the sheet steel 44 above and below the transverse recess61. This also serves to close the otherwise opened inner side of thegroove 42 of every joint where the joint extends upwardly on the sidewall of the car. Thus the hot asphalt seaming compound may also bepoured into the vertically extending grooves 42 of the joint, where theywill run into the chambers 66 and 61, surrounding the securing bolts 65and assuring a water-tight joint around the securing bolts on thehinges.

Referring to Fig. 9, this is a modified form of joint, which is alsolocated in a groove in a stringer 25. In this case the stringer 25extends longitudinally of the joint and transversely of the by means ofa cap strip H, which may have a plurality of nails I2 welded to theinner surface of the cap strip. The nails 12 are long enough to extenddownward into the sub-stringer 25, and the cap strip is provided with aflat upper body and with diagonallyand outwardly extending flanges 13parallel to the flanges 18.

A metallic anchoring strip 14 may be welded to the top of the body ofthe cap strip II for the purpose of ,anchoring the compound 15 in place.

It will be observed that when the nails 12, carried by the cap strip H,are driven into the substringer 25, the flanges l3 engage the flanges Iand tend to draw the two sections of steel together.

Compound is preferably placed below and above the cap strip H, in themanner previously described, and the hot asphalt compound is smoothedoff flush with the top of the steel flooring 28.

Referring to Fig. 10, in this modification the edges of each floorsection are provided with a downwardly extending flange 16, ahorizontally extending flange TI, and an upwardly extending flange 18.The channelled edge portion formed by the flanges 16-18, when combinedwith the channel at the edge of an adjacent section, substantially fillsthe groove 39 in the stringer 25, and the flanges I8 engage each other.

The flanges 11 may be provided with apertures for receiving the woodscrews 18, by means of which the sections are secured to thesub-stringers 25. The joint is also provided with a cap strip 80, whichmay comprise a substantially U-shaped member, the parallel flanges ofwhich engage and clamp together the vertical flanges 18, having a drivefit with these flanges. Substantially horizontal foot flanges 8| on eachedge of the cap strip may be used to cover the heads of the screw bolts19. In other embodiments of the invention nails may be used, if desired,which will be welded to these foot flanges 8|. In this embodiment thejoint is again finished and waterproofed by means of the seamingcompound 15.

Referring to Fig. 11, this is another modification, in which theopposite edges of the steel sections are provided with differentformations, which cooperate to make a joint. For example, the section28a is provided with a downwardly extending flange 82,'a horizontalflange 83, and an upwardly extending flange 84. The steel section 281)is provided with a downwardly extending flange 85 which fits inside theflange 84, and with a horizontally extending flange 86 which engages thelower flange 83 and covers the heads of screw bolts 81. a

An angle member 88 may have one flange welded to the flange 82 for thepurpose of locking the flange 86 in the groove provided by the flanges82-84, and the joint is again waterproofed by means of seaming compound15.

If desired, nails may be substituted for screws 81 in this embodiment,and may have their heads welded at 89 to the flange 86.

Referring to Fig. 2, it will be observed that the floor is thus built upof a plurality of sections provided with the joints The drip pansections 29 and 38 are preferably formed with anv offset flange 90 belowthe bulkhead 56 so as to a place the main body of the pan slightly belowthe flooring 28.

This drip pan 30 may have a diagonally upwardly extending portion 9iengaging a cross beam 92 and providing a support for the frame memberswhich bear the load of the bulkhead 56. The drip pan is provided with asuitable water trap 93, shown at the right end of Fig, 2, and withupwardly extending flanges 94 around all of the side walls.

The features of the bulkhead 56, shown in Fig. 2, are the subject ofanother of my co-pending applications, Case 4, Serial No. 115,107, filedDecember l, 1936, and therefore will not be described in detail herein.

The side walls of the car are preferably provided with an insulatingconstruction of the type disclosed and covered by my copendingapplication, Case 3, flled October 2, 1936, Ser. No. 103,735, andtherefore will not be described in detail herein.

It will thus be observed that I have invented an improved floorconstruction for refrigerator cars, in which the floor may be completelycovered with a layer of steel, which in the preferred form haswater-tight joints that permit of expansion and contraction withoutleakage. The resilientflanges at the joints permit suflicient movementto take care of any expansion and contraction, and, if necessary, anysection of flooring may be removed and repaired, or the insulation maybe inspected and repaired. There is absolutely no possibility of leakagewhen the joints are properly filled with seaming compound as described,and therefore the insulation is kept in a dry and eflicient conditionthroughout the entire life of the car. The flooring is not onlywaterproofed over its entire area, but it extends up wardly on the wallof the car, and is waterproofed at the points of securement of the floorrack hinges, and the construction requires a minimum amount of attentionafter its initial insulation.

While I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of myinvention, manymodifications may be made without departingfrom the spirit of theinvention, and I do not wish to be limited to the precise details ofconstruction set forth, but desire to avail myself of all changes withinthe scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new anddesire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. In a floor joint for metal refrigerator car floors, the combinationof a channelled strip having side flanges bent toward each other withedge flanges carried by adjacent steel sections, said edge flanges beingadapted to engage the side flanges of said channelled strip, and meansfor forcing said edge flanges into resilient engagement with the wallsof said channelled strip.

comprising a narrow strip of predetermined width and thickness adaptedto be inserted between said edge flanges and moved from insertedposition into transverse relation to said edge flanges, said edgeflanges having additional flanges engaging between said channelled stripand said narrow strip to retain said edge flanges in said channelledstrip.

2. In a refrigerator car floor, the combination of a support withinsulation carried by said support and a metallic floor covering locatedabove said insulation, said metal floor covering being formed in aplurality of sectionscovering the floor of said car and extending upwardon the walls thereof to a predetermined point, said sections havingwater-tight joints also extending upward on said walls, said water-tightjoints being formed with a groove and a water-proofing compound fillingsaid groove, said upwardly extending portions of said flooring havingmeans I, for closing the upwardly extending portion of said groove toretain the compound in that por-- tion of the groove.

3. In a refrigerator car construction, the combination of awaterproofing layer for the floor extending upward on the sides of saidcar, a hinge fitting for a floor rack carried by said layer and havingsecuring devices extending through said fitting and layer, said fittingbeing formed with a recess surrounding said securing said insulation andclamping said insulation to members whereby waterproofing compound may Ibe applied around said securing members in said recess.

4. In a metal floor joint for refrigerator cars, the combination of astringer having a recess for receiving said joint with a pair of metalfloor sections, each metal floor section being formed with downwardlyprojecting flanges extending into said recess, said downwardlyprojecting flanges being provided with upwardly turned edges, and a capstrip covering said upwardly extending edges, said upwardly projectingedges being parallel and said cap strip being of substantially U shapeand having a drive fit over said latter flanges.

5. In a metal floor joint for refrigerator cars, the combination of astringer having a recess for receiving said joint with a pair of metalfloor sections, each metal floor section being formed with downwardlyprojecting flanges extending into said recess, said downwardlyprojecting flanges being provided with upwardly turned edges, and a capstrip covering said upwardly extending edges, said upwardly projectingedges being parallel and said cap strip being of substantially U shapeand having a drive fit over said latter flanges, and a waterproofingcompound covering said cap strip and said flanges to provide awatertight joint.

6. In a refrigerator car, the combination of a plurality of mainstringers extending longitudi nally of the car, with a sub-flooringcarried by said stringers above said stringers, a predetermined quantityof heat insulating material located above said sub-flooring,sub-stringers engaging said sub-flooring, and a metal flooring locatedabove said sub-stringers and supported thereby, said metal flooringcomprising a plurality of flooring sections, each section extendingacross the refrigerator car and having upwardly turned ends extendingabove the water line, and each I section having at its edges a pair ofdownwardly turned flanges, a channeled member having upwardly extendingconverging flanges carried by said sub-stringers and embracing thedownwardly extending flanges of two adjacent metal flooring sections,and ametal member between said downwardly extending sections andspreading said downwardly extending flanges into engagement with theflanges of said channeled member.

In a refrigerator car, the combination of a plurality of main stringersextending longitudinally of the car, with a sub-flooring carried by saidstringers above said stringers, a predetermined quantity of heatinsulating material located above said sub-flooring, sub-stringersengaging said insulation and clamping said insulation to saidsub-flooring, and a metal flooring located above said sub-stringers andsupported thereby, said metal flooring comprising a plurality offlooring sections, each section extending across the refrigerator carand having upwardly turned ends extending above the water line, and eachsection having at its edges a pair of downwardly turned flanges, achanneled member having upwardly extending converging flanges carried bysaid sub-stringers and embracing the downwardly extending flanges oftwoadjacent metal flooring sections, and a metal member between saiddownwardly extending sections and spreading said downwardly extendingflanges into engagement with the flanges of said channeled member, saidlatter metal member being rotatable during assembly in the space betweensaid downwardly extending flanges and being turned into horizontalposition to effect a securement of said-channeled member and downwardlyextending flanges.

8. In a refrigerator car, the combination of a plurality of mainstringers extending longitudinally of the car, with a sub-flooringcarried by said stringers above said stringers, a predetermined quantityof heat insulating material located above said sub-flooring,sub-stringers engaging said insulation and clamping said insulation tosaid sub-flooring and a met-a1 flooring located above said sub-stringersand supported thereby, said metal flooring comprising a plurality offlooring sections, each section extending across the refrigerator carand having upwardly turned ends extending above the water line, and eachsection having at its edges a pair of downwardly turned flanges, achanneled member having upwardly extending converging flanges carried bysaid sub-stringers and embracing the downwardly extending flanges of twoadjacent metal flooring sections, and a metal member between saiddownwardly extending sections and spreading said downwardly extendingflanges into engagement with the flanges of said channeled member, saidlatter metal member being rotatable during assembly in the space betweensaid downwardly extending flanges and being turned into horizontalposition to effect a securement of said channeled member and downwardlyextending flanges, and an initially plastic composition in saidchanneled member between said downwardly extending flanges, and abovesaid metal member, to effect a water-tight joint.

9. In a refrigerator car, the combination of a plurality of mainstringers extending longitudinally of the car, with a sub-flooringcarried by said stringers above said stringers, a predetermined quantityof heat insulating material located above said sub-flooring,sub-stringers engaging said insulation and clamping said insulation tosaid sub-flooring, and a metal flooring located above said sub-stringersand supported thereby, said metal flooring comprising a plurality offlooring sections, each section extending across the refrigerator carand having upwardly turned ends extending above the water line, and eachsection having at its edges a pair of downwardly turned flanges, achanneled member having upwardly extending converging flanges carried bysaid sub-stringers and embracing the downwardly extending flanges of twoadjacent metal flooring sections, and a metal member between saiddownwardly extending sections and spreading said downwardly extendingflanges into engagement with the flanges of said channeled member, saidmetal member comprising a flat metal bar having rounded edges.

10. In a refrigerator car, the combination of a plurality of mainstringers extending longitudinally of the car, with a sub-flooringcarried by said stringers above said stringers, a predetermined quantityof heat insulating material located above said sub-flooring,sub-stringers engaging said insulation and clamping said insulation tosaid sub-flooring, and a metal flooring located above said sub-stringersand supported thereby, said metal flooring comprising a plu-' turnedends extending above the water line, and

each section having at its edges 9. pair of downwardly turned flanges, achanneled member has ing upwardly extending converging flanges carriedby said sub-stringers and embracing the downwardly extending flanges oftwo adjacent metal flooring sections, and a metal member between saiddownwardly extending sections and spreading said downwardly extendingflanges into engagement with the flanges of said channeled member, saiddepending flanges being each provided with laterally turned flangesconfined under said metal member.

11. In a refrigerator car, the combination of a plurality of mainstringers extending longitudinally of the car, with a sub-flooringcarried by said stringers above said stringers, a predetermined quantityof heat insulating material located above said sub-flooring,sub-stringers engaging said insulation and clamping said insulation tosaid sub-flooring, and a metal flooring located above said sub-stringersand supported thereby, said metal flooring comprising a plurality offlooring sections, each section extending across the refrigerator carand having upwardly turned ends extending above the water line, and

- each section having at its edges a pair of downwardly turned flanges,a channeled member having upwardly extending converging flanges carriedby said sub-stringers and embracing the downwardly extending flanges oftwo adjacent metal flooring sections, and a metal member between saiddownwardly extending sections and spreading said downwardly extendingflanges into engagement with the flanges of said channeled member, and acast metal fitting secured to the wall of said car on said upwardlyextending portion of said metal floor layer at a joint between the floorsections, said fitting enclosing the inner open edge between saidflanges of said floor sections for receiving composition between saidflooring flanges behind said fitting.

12. In a refrigerator car, the combination of a plurality of mainstringers extending longitudinally of the car, with a sub-flooringcarried by said stringers above said stringers, a predetermined quantityof heat insulating material located above said sub-flooring,sub-stringers engaging said insulation and clamping said insulation tosaid sub-flooring, and a metal flooring located above said sub-stringersand supported 1 member, and a cast metal fitting secured to the wall ofsaid car on said upwardly extending portion of said metal floor layer ata joint between the floor sections, said fitting enclosing the inneropen edge between said flanges of said floor sections for receivingcomposition between said flooring flanges behind said fitting, saidfitting being secured by through bolts, and said fitting having recessessurrounding said bolts between the upwardly extending portions of saidflooring and said fitting and communicating with the groove between thefloor flanges whereby composition also surrounds the bolts and sealsthem to effect a water-proof joint around the bolts.

JOHN S. LUNDVALL.

